1400 Calorie Diet Plan

"Pop" diets from low-carb Atkins and South Beach diets to starvation detox diets of cabbage soup and ginger/cayenne teas are all good examples of the extremes used for quick weight loss. However, one of the most effective and promising, is a lower calorie diet plan. And prior to starting any diet or exercise program, please remember to always consult a physician. The following will address various techniques on how to plan easy and healthy meals in the 1400 daily calorie range.

Learning to Portion and Read Nutrition Labels

One of the most important components to successful dieting is understanding portion control and food value. Calories are essentially units of energy that the body uses to function and run vital organs. However, excess calories are converted into fat to be stored for later use. Weight loss is mostly an equation of calories in vs. calories out.
Nutrition fact labels are often challenging to read and understand, seeming like a secret code. Nonetheless, the most important components are the serving size, calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates. A serving size can range from one cookie to anywhere from 3/4 to 1 cups of cereal, or one piece of fruit, depending on the manufacturer and weight in grams. Most dieters make the mistake of thinking that a whole box is one serving size. Pay attention to the "servings per container" label that distinguishes how many servings are in a package. Also, don't forget that most drinks besides black coffee, water, tea and diet soda contain calories too.
Once nutrition facts are figured out, learn to measure out a single serving for each food. This can be done either by measuring cups or a food scale, depending on how detailed and precise you choose to be. Although this process can be time consuming at first, it brings awareness to what a normal portion size should look like and trains for accurate "eye-balling" in the future. Keep a food diary with the calories, fat, protein, and carbohydrate grams for a couple of weeks to ease calculation towards a 1400 calorie goal and ensure proper nutrition. Also remember to take a multi-vitamin regardless of diet regimen.

Balance and Delicious Substitutions

Balance is a key to success when following lower calorie diets. Although 1400 calories can consist of eating a full pancake breakfast at the local diner joint and nothing else for the remainder of the day, the lack of nutritional value can leave dieters feeling deprived. Therefore, it is better to always eat a mix of healthy fats, lean protein and complex carbohydrates. Proteins and complex carbohydrate fibers take longer to digest, leaving brains with a "full" signal longer. Besides, delicious pancakes can still be made at a fraction of the calories with whole wheat flour and light cooking spray.
The key to lower calorie meals is creative substitutions. Great examples are Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise for healthier tuna salad sandwiches, low fat dairy products, white meat for dark meat, vegetables for empty carbohydrate laden side dishes and fruit salads with a piece of dark chocolate instead of fat filled chocolate cake. In addition, home-cooked meals tend to be healthier since there is control over the amount of added fat, not to mention the significant savings.

A Typical 1400 Calorie Day

There are now great resources that provide information on almost any nutrition fact data imaginable. Thus, planning daily meals should be a cinch and eating out is possible as long as a little research is done ahead of time. The following is a great example of a well balanced, 1400 calorie diet plan.
Breakfast (most important meal of the day)
-1 hard boiled or poached egg (80 calories)
-1 slice of whole wheat toast (80 calories)
-1 orange (75 calories for an average size)
-Coffee or Tea and 1 Tbs. skim milk (10 calories)
Morning Snack
-1 banana with 1 Tbs. Nut butter (190 calories)
Lunch
-Veggie sandwich from Subway with half the cheese, double the vegetables, mustard, vinegar, pepper, on whole wheat bread (320 calories)
-Water
Mid-Afternoon Snack
-1 cup carrots with 1oz. hummus (100 calories--based on a 50 calorie serving of hummus)
Dinner
-3 oz. of poached, grilled, or steamed fish (180 calories)
-1 cup of salad with light dressing (50 calories)
-1 cup of sauted spinach with olive oil spray (30 calories)
-1/4 cup cooked brown rice (150 calories)
Dessert
-3/4 mixed berries and 1 small piece of dark chocolate (150 calories)
Daily Total: 1415 calories